Otter Mound was the first preserve created in Collier County in 2007 by the Conservation Collier Program. Since then they had not conserved any additional land on Marco Island in 17 years. I was determined to change that when I got elected.
During my first term in office I was responsible for conserving three acres of land on Marco Island that is home to hundreds of Gopher Tortoises and Burrowing Owls, a pair of Bald Eagles, and countless other native species of birds and other animals. This returned over $5,000,000.00 in taxes from Collier County to Marco Island through the Conservation Collier Program with the purchase of the aforementioned three acres of land.
I spent a good portion of my first term learning how to use the Conservation Collier Program to acquire and preserve land on Marco Island that had high conservation value. I attended about 90% of the monthly meetings of the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Committee (CCLAC), the group that is responsible for reviewing properties and nominating them for acquisition by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). I attended all of the BCC Meetings where the purchase of Marco Island properties were on the agenda. I contacted the BCC members prior to speaking in favor of the purchases during their meetings. Between CCLAAC and BCC Meetings I spend hundreds of hours working with Audubon of Western Everglades identifying high-value properties and strategizing how to acquire them. If you re-elect me I will continue this work and do everything I can to preserve and protect even more critical habitat on Marco Island.
First Term Accomplishments
- Worked with Audubon Western Everglades, Conservation Collier, and the Board of County Commissioners for 3 years to identify and preserve land that provided habitat for Gopher Tortoises, Burrowing Owls, Bald Eagles, and other species.
- Was successful in conserving three acres of land on Marco Island that is home to hundreds of Gopher Tortoises and Burrowing Owls, a pair of Bald Eagles, and countless other native species of birds and other animals.
- Returned over $5,000,000.00 in taxes from Collier County to Marco Island through the Conservation Collier Program with the purchase of the aforementioned three acres of land.
If Re-elected I will:
- Continue to work with Audubon Western Everglades and Conservation Collier to identify and nominate Marco Island properties with high conservation value.
- Continue to lobby the Board of County Commissioners to approve the purchase of all Marco Island properties nominated by Conservation Collier.
- Continue to lobby the Marco Island City Council to start an Open Space Preservation fund and commit to funding it with a specific percentage of tax revenue each year.
- Continue to support the Gopher Tortoise Study being conducted on Marco Island by Audubon of Western Everglades.
- Explore alternative sources of funding for land acquisition such as the Florida Forever program.
- Apply for funding from the Marco Island Community Parks Foundation Inc. for select conservation projects.
YouTube Links
These videos are short clips taken from different City Council Meetings where I addressed the issue of Open Space Preservation.
11/06/23 Preserved 3 Acres of Land with Conservation Collier https://youtu.be/msnDFc-SffA
In this video I describe my three year effort to preserve 3 acres (7 different lots) of land on Marco Island. The parcels protect gopher tortoises, burrowing owls, a pair of eagles, and countless other creatures in their native habitat.
3/21/22 Support the Preservation of the Rapid Infiltration Basin Systems (RIBS) Property https://youtu.be/0J7656_8qfg
In this video I describe my White Paper that outlines the value in preserving the City’s 46 acre RIBS plot located adjacent to the old Mainsail Wastewater Treatment Plant and Fiddlers Creek.
6/7/2021 Presentation to Support the Audubon Study of Gopher Tortoise https://youtu.be/XHChwIJYo2E
In this video clip I show my presentation to the City Council supporting Audubon of Western Everglade’s Gopher Tortoise Study taking place on Marco Island. This is an ongoing study of the uniqueness of the Marco Island Gopher Tortoises. It describes their adaptation to our habitat, their population estimates, and their travels around their neighborhoods.
White Papers Supporting Open Space
- White Paper: Conservation Collier Parcels 11/6/23 https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=f608f71e-6cd4-4377-8d2c-d8436eb0ef63.pdf?
- In this White Paper I give an overview of the three acres of land I fought to get preserved on Marco Island by Conservation Collier. The seven lots combined were preserved at a cost of over $5,000,000.00, the most every returned to our city through this county land preservation program.
- White Paper: Conservation Collier Update 4/24/23 https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=019c802c-4dde-4c41-a541-5195566c1b9c.pdf?
- In this White Paper I describe the process leading to my final recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) to support the purchase of the Marco Island properties recommended for acquisition by Conservation Collier.
- White Paper: Request for Letter to Conservation Collier July 19, 2021 https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=d11b13ec-8442-4045-8def-c0a17d28b0de.pdf?
- This White Paper is my first effort to convince my fellow City Councilors to support the nomination of key properties on Marco Island for acquisition by the Conservation Collier Program for preservation.
- White paper: Gopher Tortoise Preservation June 7, 2021https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=db4ac511-5752-4450-9c00-a3b5f47620f1.pdf
- In this White Paper I discuss the importance of supporting Audubon of Western Everglade’s ongoing Gopher Tortoise study on Marco Island.